Three more defamation cases were filed in Rajshahi, Sherpur and Jashore districts on Sunday against Barrister Mainul Hosein for defaming journalist Masuda Bhatti during a TV talk show on October 16.
In Rajshahi, Jubo Mohila League leader Parveen Swapna filed a case with the Rajshahi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, said Advocate Ishmat Ara, lawyer of the plaintiff.
Later, Judge Mahbubur Rahman of the Metropolitan Magistrate Court-1 summoned Mainul to appear before it on January 15, 2019.
In Sherpur, Advocate Farhana Parveen Munni, convener of the district unit of Jubo Mohila League, filed the case against Mainul with Sherpur Sadar Cognisance Court.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Sultan Mahmud asked Mainul to appear before it on November 29.
In Jashore, Jatiya Mohila Sangstha’s district chapter Chairman Laiju Zaman filed a defamation case of Tk 9 crore with the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Akram Hossain in the morning.
The judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Mainul, said plaintiff’s lawyer Idris Ali.
Earlier, a number of cases were filed against the former caretaker government adviser for his choice of abusive words at the female journalist.
On October 22, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested Mainul from the capital in a defamation case filed in Rangpur. Later, he was sent to jail by a Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate the following day.
Mainul was connected via video link to a live talk show programme hosted by Mithila Farzana on private channel Ekattor TV where Masuda Bhatti was a studio guest on October 16.
During the talk-show ‘Ekattorer Journal’, Masuda Bhatti asked Mainul, “You say you’re there in the Jatiya Oikyafront as a citizen of the country but in social networking sites, many people are saying you’re there as a representative of Jamaat.”
Angered by the comment, Mainul said, “I’m thanking you for your audacity and I want to believe you as ‘characterless’. There’s no question about Jamaat link’s with me and what question you have asked is embarrassing for me.”
